The ElecTribe EM-1 Music Production System is another great ElecTribe series instrument with two synth-parts and eight drum-parts. Sort of combining the elements of the original ElecTribe EA-1 and ER-1, the new EM-1 is an all-in-one groove and dance music machine for DJs and musicians alike!

The EM-1 has loads of drum sounds, all of which are excellent for dance music. There are 144 different sounds, and patterns can have up to eight drum parts. Parts can be muted and individually processed, live and in realtime. The synth sounds consist of 50 waveforms and a pattern can hold up to two synth parts. Waveform editing includes volume, panning, envelope, filtering, roll-effect, internal effects processing, pitch, and glide (portamento). The filter is only a 12 dB/oct low-pass with cutoff and resonance controls which is a little thin, but it still gets the point across.

Naturally, the EM-1 features an advanced built-in sequencer with multi-effects for complete Music Production features. The sequencer holds up to 256 patterns and 16 songs. It ships with 192 of them full of cool dance programs to get you going. Sequencing is done in step or real time using the 16 pads which represent 16th notes of a 1-bar pattern. Patterns can be up to 64-steps (4-bars) long. Built-in effects consist of two processors, a Master (global) Delay and one of 11 Insert Effects. The insert effects include Reverb, Flanger/Chorus, Phaser, Ring modulator, Pitch shifter, Compressor, Distortion, Decimator, Resonator, and Modulation Delay. The Motion Sequencer functions can record movements of the EM-1's knobs in realtime and store them with your Patterns to add rhythmic effects, filter sweeps, and evolving synth or effect changes.

The EM-1 is certainly a cool dance music production system! On the Professional level, its two-voices of synth parts is very slim pickings. On the other hand, it can offer Pro-DJ's incredible performance potential! For example, you can store up to 64 patterns to the step keys for realtime pattern recall. Combine that with realtime part muting/soloing, and realtime filtering, tweaking and effecting, tap-tempo or MIDI clock sync for an excellent groove machine! Although there are far fewer hands-on knobs than on the Yamaha AN-200 and DX-200, the EM-1 is less expensive and offers a great nag for its buck! It has been used by The Prodigy.

Drew

January 6, 2012 @ 10:38 pm

I just got on of these for under $200nz ace machine I have tried it is as a sound module i.e. using my main synth as a controller and the sequencer in the EM1 it does work a treat.

Has anyone tried the editing software for it made by midiweb.de ?

victor

October 1, 2011 @ 5:02 pm

this can do detroit techno with no fuss it dosent want to play nice it wants to scare people. i keep it in it's box because when i use it i try to recreate the time i was at tresor in 2000 when ''i experienced'' sound comming out of the walls and not the speakers. as it has 2 synths and drums it is limited to being a drone or blip blip box but for the price it is very good. does this have a sound module mode i read the manual and no mention of it. if you are looking for a detroit/hard tekno or gabba this box does them all remember all the effects are great the reverb [beep] s but it deep

BrianGrassfield

September 22, 2011 @ 5:16 pm

I got this today, and wrote a complex goa tune in 3 hours. Supporting with a Yamaha AN200 and SU200, I simple create music, no more editing problems. Sequencing done with Renoise. For the truth MIDI implementation is a bunch of s*beep*.

marty

August 17, 2011 @ 6:52 am

yo i have just bought an em1 , how do i get the sounds out of it that are played in the patterns?? all i seem to get is bleeps its doing my head in? help guys????

Mark Seventyone

July 2, 2011 @ 12:52 am

I love this machine. I think of it as my poor man's workstation. two synths (bass line & melody), and eight drum sounds is enough to get ideas out. There is more than enough synth sounds to find the sound you have in mind, with enough control to get it exactly how you want it. In a day, I can put down 3-6 basic tracks that can be exapanded or broken down to become a song. From what I have seen on youtube, most people use it for electronica music but I can get some dirty Hip Hop beats out of it. I think the sounds are useful for just about any music style, it's up to one's imagination.

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